Keir Starmer’s good fortune has, for now, returned. His press conference with Donald Trump was anticipated inside government as a politically treacherous occasion, all the more so after Peter Mandelson’s sacking as US ambassador.
Yet by Trump’s standards, the Chequers gathering passed without incident. His political disagreements with Starmer – who the president often pointedly describes as a “liberal” – were clear. Trump reaffirmed his opposition to the UK’s imminent recognition of a Palestinian state, suggested that Starmer should “call out the military” to stop small boat crossings and urged the Prime Minister to approve new oil and gas licences in the “great asset” of the North Sea (a stance that aligns him with the Unite and GMB trade unions).
But at no point did these differences spiral into outright hostilities – as they so easily can with Trump. Instead, the US president again praised Starmer as a “tough negotiator”, quipping that the UK may have got a “better deal” than his own country (sceptics will note that Starmer failed in his aim of achieving zero tariffs on steel). Trump also declared that he had been “really let down” by Vladimir Putin while warning that he would not impose sanctions as long as Europe continued to buy Russian oil.
Against expectations, Jeffrey Epstein was only mentioned once. When Sky’s Beth Rigby asked Trump whether he felt “sympathy” for Mandelson, the president, remarkably, retorted: “I don’t know him, actually,” (he previously complimented the ambassador’s “beautiful accent” and good looks, though also reportedly referred to him as “sneaky Pete”).
In truth, Trump’s unusually diplomatic performance was not mere luck. Starmer made a conscious effort to woo the president, gifting him the honour of a second state visit and has been spared the worst of Trump’s temper in return. As I reported back in January, Labour was influenced by the strategy of the late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe who charmed Trump by naming a sumo wrestling trophy after him and allowing him to become the first world leader to meet the newly enthroned emperor. The government believes its approach has brought real benefits: an array of new economic deals, greater protection from tariffs than the EU and, above all, Trump’s continuing commitment to Nato and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance.
Any political dividend, however, is likely to be limited. Trump is a highly unpopular figure in the UK (just 16 per cent of the public have a favourable view of him) and most voters believe Starmer should prioritise closer ties with Europe. But faced with the most volatile US president in history, Starmer has avoided the diplomatic crises that many commentators deemed inevitable. For that, he will be grateful again.
[See also: At London’s anti-Trump rally, I sensed the death of liberal England]
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